Sonali's Society: Sunil Gavaskar’s soiree, Met Gala glory, celebrity zen and more

The Ultimate hattrickSunil Gavaskar turns lsquoshutterbugrsquo for the definitive Sachin trinity on Sunday Khedekar Tendulkar and Pilgaonkar in one frame Playing both party host and photographer the little master captures this rare convergence mdash spanning both the pitch and the stage mdash for posteritySunny side upCricket legend Sunil Gavaskarrsquos annual bash has long since proven that his guest list isnrsquot restricted to the pitch His circle of friends extends well beyond the proverbial boundary line of the willow game and this was reiterated on Sunday evening at The Indus Club in BKC as guests like Aamir Khan Jackie Shroff and Atul Kasbekar held court alongside cricketing royalty including Sachin Tendulkar chief selector Ajit Agarkar and Ravi ShastriJackie Shroff Aamir Khan and Sachin TendulkarExplaining to our inhouse cricket nut that he and Aamir go way back Gavaskar added that one of the most memorable moments from his gatherings came during a previous edition Apparently Amitabh Bachchan was once genuinely starstruck meeting golden great Chandu Borde reminiscing about watching the Pune stalwart smash 109 and 96 against the West Indies in 1959 Even the Big B it seems has his heroesSunil Gavaskar Ravi Shastri and Indus Clubrsquos Harish ThawaniBack to the night in question though the bar was wellstocked with lsquoThe Little Master Martinirsquo and lsquoSunnyrsquos Straight Driversquo and the spread was handsome but the real conversation starter was a dish labelled lsquoNanarsquos Special Muttonrsquo One couldnrsquot help but wonder if the recipe was a direct contribution from Nana Patekar himself who was mingling merrily just a few feet away from the buffetAnd on the subject of food when a friend asked Tendulkar if hersquod actually eaten dinner yet he gestured to the crowd and quipped ldquoThis is dinnerrdquo implying that being around his mates was a feast in itself There are many wonderful ways to savour a Sunday evening but those in attendance at this soiree would say in unison ldquoNo better way than thisrdquoSaree DiplomacyThe Indian fashion takeover of the West is officially in full swing with two standout names leading the charge Natasha Poonawalla kicked things off at the Kingrsquos Trust Gala in New York City on April 29 proving once again that she is the undisputed queen of avantgarde tradition Draped in a striking Arpita Mehta ensemble she brought the soul of Bengal to the Big Apple with intricate Kantha embroidery It wasnrsquot just an outfit mdash it was a highfashion manifesto styled to perfection by Rhea KapoorIsha Ambani and Natasha PoonawallaNot to be outdone Isha Ambani arrived at the Met Gala preparty on May 1 in a custom Manish Malhotra x Swadesh masterpiece that was essentially a handstitched history lesson Crafted over 450 hours her lsquobandage dressrsquo featured 26 distinct borders representing every corner of India mdash from Parsi gara to Banarasi brocadeIf you are wondering why these moments matter itrsquos because they go far beyond fashion In a landscape that often borrows without credit Natasha and Isha are reclaiming the narrative mdash placing our craftsmanship history and identity firmly at the centre of global style These arenrsquot just redcarpet wins theyrsquore cultural mic drops mdash unapologetically Indian and impossible to ignoreThe real main characterWhile most folks spent weeks obsessing over which Bollywood icons would grace the Metropolitan Museumrsquos steps the real tea is that India didnrsquot just attend the Met Gala mdash it literally laid the groundwork Before a single stiletto or custom gown touched the floor Kerala had already stolen the showSivan Santhosh and Nimisha SrinivasForget the guest list mdash wersquore talking about the 6840 square meters of sheer craftsmanship underfoot Manufactured by Neytt in Alappuzha this wasnrsquot just any rug Marking their fourth year providing the foundation for fashionrsquos biggest night it took 500 artisans and 90 days of meticulous weaving to create the 57 rolls of sustainable sisal matting requiredSourced from Madagascar and perfected in Cherthala by Sivan Santhosh Nimisha Srinivas and their talented team this carpet had to be flawless mdash because when yoursquore the stage for global icons therersquos zero room for a loose thread So stay pressed about the guest list if you must but remember India didnrsquot just walk the Met carpet we made itAltZen for the AlistForget the overpriced lsquoashramsrsquo and lsquosilent retreatsrsquo where you pay six figures to sit on a burlap sack For the Alist true zen isnrsquot found in a crystal mdash itrsquos found in the quirksSalman Khan and his lsquoSukhrsquoTake Salman Khan the man who can trigger a boxoffice riot with a mere flick of his wrist Where does he find his centre In the wag of a tail as we learned over the weekend He calls a quiet moment with his dog ldquoSukhrdquo which is as much a state of mind as it is the dogrsquos actual name And Irsquom not surprised mdash the only creature who isnrsquot asking Salman for a sequel is likely a Chow ChowThen therersquos Mira Kapoor who defined ldquoheaven on earthrdquo as an escape to her motherrsquos house on Sunday Itrsquos the ultimate sanctuary where the kids are suddenly someone elsersquos problem and she can change her food order at the last minute without a judgment in sightAnd Twinkle Khanna Shersquos ready to trade her mattress for a view ldquoIrsquod give up my bedroom but never my balconyrdquo she confessed last week and we get it True luxury is being able to court the sun without having to court the crowd In the world of the famous calm clearly isnrsquot a state of mind mdash itrsquos a specific location where no one is asking for a selfie